Sun Xiaofeng’s words got stuck in her throat before she could even voice them, suffocated by Gu Yan’s icy glare and the accusing stares of the crowd. Her face turned as purple as liver.
She finally understood—this city girl Meng Jiao, who seemed quiet and unassuming, was actually full of cunning! Even more manipulative than herself!
She had to swallow this bitter humiliation, and it made her lungs feel like they were about to explode!
Yet she couldn’t even vent her anger.
Meng Jiao, carried ashore by Gu Yan, was wrapped in someone’s coat and still trembling, her pale little face looking utterly pitiful.
The record-keeper frowned, made a harsh note in his book against Sun Xiaofeng, deducted work points from her, and warned that he would report her to the Brigade Leader if she caused trouble again.
Tears welled up in Sun Xiaofeng’s eyes from sheer rage. She stamped her foot hard and ran off.
She would remember this grudge.
Meng Jiao, just you wait!
Fuming, she left the scene. After Gu Yan carried Meng Jiao ashore, he immediately took her home.
After all, her clothes were wet and dirty, and it wouldn’t be proper for others to see.
Gu Yan said nothing, but he shot everyone a fierce glare, as if warning them not to speak of what happened that day.
Meng Jiao knew this was only the first step and that Sun Xiaofeng would never let it go.
She just didn’t expect Sun Xiaofeng’s retaliation to come so quickly.
Not daring to confront her openly—afraid of that madman Gu Yan and being outmaneuvered by Meng Jiao again—Sun Xiaofeng resorted to more insidious tactics, spreading malicious rumors throughout the village.
Within a couple of days, whispers began circulating.
“Hey, have you heard? The Meng girl seems honest, but she’s quite cunning—always hanging around that Gu boy…”
“Exactly! A lone man and woman, always sneaking off to secluded places like the back hills… What decent business could they have?”
“City girls are so bold, not like us honest country folk…”
“Sun Xiaofeng said she saw them getting all touchy-feely, so intimate…”
The rumors spread like wildfire.
In these times, a girl’s reputation was everything. Sun Xiaofeng’s move was truly vicious.
Xiao Cao, furious, ran to find Meng Jiao, her face livid. “Jiaojiao! Sun Xiaofeng is despicable! She’s spreading lies everywhere, ruining your reputation!”
Meng Jiao was hanging laundry in the yard. She paused at the words but showed little surprise.
She had expected Sun Xiaofeng not to back down, but she hadn’t anticipated such underhanded methods.
“It’s fine. Let her talk.”
Meng Jiao shook out a piece of clothing and hung it on the line, her tone calm.
“How can it be fine?!”
Xiao Cao stamped her foot anxiously. “The things they’re saying are awful! It’s bad for you and Gu Yan!”
Meng Jiao smiled, but her eyes turned cold. Sun Xiaofeng was pushing her to play her trump card.
However, Meng Jiao’s response didn’t give Sun Xiaofeng any advantage.
She didn’t confront Sun Xiaofeng directly or weepingly try to explain—that would only make things worse.
Instead, Meng Jiao went to Meng Jianhua first and proactively brought up the rumors.
“Dad, I don’t know who’s spreading these rumors, but they’re saying that because Gu Yan saved me last time, we’ve gotten close and people are gossiping. Gu Yan is just a good person—he helped me gather firewood when I was in a tough spot. If this spreads, it’ll be bad for him. He’s already… sigh.”
Hearing this, Meng Jianhua immediately felt protective of his daughter. He had always been on Meng Jiao’s side anyway—every parent dotes on their own child.
He instantly grew resentful toward those spreading rumors.
“Don’t listen to their nonsense. Dad knows you’re a good kid. Gu Yan has had a tough life too, but his heart is in the right place.”
“If anyone dares spread lies again, I’ll make sure they regret it!”
With her father’s trust, Meng Jiao felt reassured.
Still, she had known all along that her dad would stand by her.
That afternoon, the commune members were husking corn together.
Meng Jiao deliberately chatted loudly with Xiao Cao.
Following their prior arrangement, Xiao Cao said indignantly, “Some people are just awful! They don’t do any work, just make up stories! Jiaojiao, when you fell and got hurt last time, Gu Yan kindly carried you back. How could that be twisted into something else? If this is how people react to a good deed, who would dare help others in the future? Since when is doing the right thing a mistake?”
Meng Jiao promptly replied, “Sigh, maybe Gu Yan and I just have bad luck, always running into strange situations. Last time on the back hill, I fell and he helped me. This time by the river, I fell in and he rescued me.”
“But why is Sun Xiaofeng always there when these things happen, and then rumors start spreading? Isn’t that just too much of a coincidence?”
Her words, though framed as a lament, subtly directed suspicion toward Sun Xiaofeng. Why was she present every time something happened?
This made it clear that Sun Xiaofeng was the instigator each time, while Gu Yan and Meng Jiao were the victims.
The aunties working nearby overheard and, upon reflection, found this reasoning sound.
“Yeah, wasn’t Sun Xiaofeng behind that pigweed incident last time too?”
“That Feng girl, how can she be so twisted? She causes trouble and then blames others?”
Once someone brought it up, others quickly chimed in.
“Young Gu may be quiet, but he’s not a bad sort. He helped me carry water last time.”
“Meng Jiao is a honest girl too—works diligently, doesn’t seem the type to fool around.”
Just like that, the rumor mill began to shift.
Instead of doubting Meng Jiao and Gu Yan, people started condemning Sun Xiaofeng for her malicious scheming and rumor-mongering.
But Meng Jiao knew that merely making people suspect Sun Xiaofeng wasn’t enough.
She needed Sun Xiaofeng to confess to her actions herself.
Meng Jiao sought out the work-point recorder and several respected elders in the village.
“Uncles, I can’t let these rumors slide. Gu Yan and I are completely innocent—we have an ordinary relationship. I’m grateful for his help, that’s all. If Sun Xiaofeng slanders us like this, how are we supposed to face people? I want her to explain herself in front of everyone. If she can’t provide proof, she must apologize to me!”
“At our age, to think she’d make up such lies to ruin someone’s reputation—it’s despicable!”
Meng Jiao was in the right and stood her ground firmly. The elders agreed this couldn’t be brushed aside and summoned Sun Xiaofeng for a confrontation.
Sun Xiaofeng had no evidence of any inappropriate behavior. She stammered, contradicted herself, and could only repeat, “I just saw it.”
Her evasive, unreasonable attitude only convinced everyone she was lying.
In the end, under pressure from the elders, Sun Xiaofeng—fuming but helpless—had to bow her head and mutter an apology to Meng Jiao, her voice barely audible.
Though reluctant, her public apology cemented her reputation as a troublemaking rumor-monger.
Now, the villagers looked at her with contempt in their eyes. Even her two usual sidekicks felt that what she had done was too shameful and began to distance themselves from her.
Meng Jiao watched Sun Xiaofeng’s mortified expression, as if she wished she could vanish into the ground, and sneered inwardly. In my past life, I’ve seen more than you’ve eaten grains of rice. You’re just a child—I don’t believe I can’t handle you.
After this confrontation, Sun Xiaofeng had truly witnessed Meng Jiao’s prowess and absolutely didn’t dare to openly challenge her again anytime soon.